>There seems to be general agreement that those who become elementary
>teachers are just as likely to be math-negative as the general population.
>But when one starts suggesting pay differential--as is done in every other
>walk of life to attract talent to hard-to-fill positions--the teachers'
>unions get all upset!
Teachers' unions get upset on behalf of their members, most of whom
are not math teachers. If the union didn't react, they'd boot out the
eaders and put in ones that would react.
I have seen non-unionized schools where the math types don't get one
cent more than anyone else. In Massachusetts they have created
"Charter Schools." A ploy to circumvent teachers' unions. I could be
wrong, but I have not heard that they use pay differentials.
If society really thought there was a crisis in math education something
would be done.
The president wants more technical education, not more math education.
And I too wish we valued technical careers, and technical career
teachers, as much as any other teacher. That's closer to the European
model, and it's one place that they can teach us something. Some of
my favorite teaching was always technical math, and mechanical drawing.
Phil Mahler
Middlesex CC
Bedford, MA